The number of inhabitants in Prague 5 could rise to about 125,000 in 2045, compared to 93,000 last year, due to housing construction. This is according to a demographic analysis commissioned by the district’s administration and discussed by its councillors yesterday. According to the study, the number of children and the elderly will grow significantly, which will put pressure on school and welfare places.
The forecast, prepared by KREIA, takes into account the development projects already under construction and those planned, and in a realistic scenario it assumes that 80 percent of those planned will be built. In that case, the population in 2045 would increase by about 32,000, more than a third of the current level. In the case of no construction at all in Prague 5, the population would decline slightly, according to the document.
In a realistic scenario, the study says, the number of seniors over 65 will rise from about 15,400 last year to about 24,900 in 2045, and from 15,000 to 17,700 for children under 14. According to Ondřej Špaček, co-author of the study, a significantly greater pressure will be visible in the area of social services for the elderly in the next ten years, which is due to the strong age group of 30 to 50 years. “In ten years, the former – and in 20 to 30 years, the remaining ones – will be close to retirement age,” Špaček said.
Similarly, the district must address kindergarten and elementary school seats, which are already at capacity. Last year, 600 children of Ukrainian refugees started attending schools in the borough. According to Radek Janoušek (Praha 5 Sobě), the district’s deputy mayor, the municipality must now draw up specific plans for increasing the number of places in schools and services for the elderly based on the analysis. “The analysis shows a number of measures that need to be taken to ensure the necessary capacities,” he said.
The borough council is currently planning to build two primary schools, about which it recently agreed with the municipal administration. At its meeting on Monday, the city councillors agreed to contribute CZK 200 million to Prague 5 for the construction of the V Cibulky school, while the municipality will also take over and pay for the construction of another school planned in the Smíchov City district under construction. In exchange, the municipality will hand over two school buildings that currently house private colleges to the city. Their lease will soon expire and the city administration plans to use the buildings to expand the Na Zatlance Gymnasium.
The fifth district includes the cadastral areas of Hlubočepy, Košíře, Motol, Radlice, Smíchov and parts of Jinonice, Mala Strana and Břevnov. It is one of Prague’s districts with large housing developments, the largest project currently under construction is the new Smíchov City district on the site of the former Smíchov freight station, where up to 3,300 people are expected to find housing. It is being built by Sekyra Group from 2020.
The population of Prague was 1.38 million last year, according to the Czech Statistical Office (CSU). However, according to analyses of geolocation data from mobile operators, 200,000 to 300,000 more people actually live in the metropolis.
Source: KREIA and CTK
Image: Wikidata
